The Best Of PA

Christmas Festivities are upon us.  We have been busy, busy with new and old traditions, our caroling party, candy train making, reading "A Christmas Carol" as a family, visiting the Polar Express, watching the Christmas Specials ont tv, devouring kiddie Christmas books and plenty more simple joys to come.     Learning about our cournty United States of America! Learning about Saint Lucia At the Polar Express School has been fun involving dressing up, games, crafts and treats.  What a delightful time of the year December is.  We have learned about the many Christmas traditions around the world, such as Italy, Sweden, England and France.  This week we learn about Christmas in Mexico and Hanukuah.  I've introduced small Spanish lessons into our curriculum now about twice a week.  I figure we can slowly transition into more days and phrases as time passes.  Small and si...

Christmas Festivities are upon us.  We have been busy, busy with new and old traditions, our caroling party, candy train making, reading A Christmas Carol as a family, visiting the Polar Express, watching the Christmas Specials ont tv, devouring kiddie Christmas books and plenty more simple joys to come.  School has been fun involving dressing up, games, crafts and treats.  What a delightful time of the year December is.  We have learned about the many Christmas traditions around the world, such as Italy, Sweden, England and France.  This week we learn about Christmas in Mexico and Hanukuah.  I've introduced small Spanish lessons into our curriculum now about twice a week.  I figure we can slowly transition into more days and phrases as time passes.  Small and simple is the way to go-after all she is only five-I seriously forget this all too often.     

I certainly have a ways to go as far as simplifying my Christmas, but these are a few things which I intend to strive for: 1) Less Decorations: I have a small home just over 1200 square feet. Honestly, I used to think that the more decorations the better, but the result was more clutter and a home that felt cramped. So I tossed/gave away more than half of my Christmas decorations from last year. Now it feels clean, calm and pretty. I now have a simple, thin tree, a mini tree in the girls room, stockings and something for the mantle. 2) Toning it down on all the festivities: this is something I am still struggling with. But when it comes to Christmas activities, sometimes less is more. In truth, I should probably toss away some of these out of the home activities, I have planned. The goal should be to create simple, at home, Christ centered activities. Some activities I am canning this year: - 25 Books of Christmas (instead of making it all about gifts, we cuddle up and...

It's that time of the year. You know it, when the stores are filled with sparkling trees, and holiday songs begin to appear on regular radio stations. It's my favorite time of the year, but my it's hectic. Already we have begun building our thankful turkey, cut out hands inked with words of gratitude are plastered in a heap on our fridge. A mess of feathery goodness. Elly has had some good practice time at cutting with this fun tradition. She is getting better everyday. :-) Soon I'll be yanking down plastic fall leaves from the valances and mantle to replace it with plastic garland and tree wooden beads. I'm thinking it be would be fun to go au natural this year-as in REAL tree garland and REAL holly and popcorn string and cranberries. Might be fun and new to do homemade this year. Also, Elly has asked Danny and I if Santa is real. It may sound harsh but we have talked about how we don't like lying to our kiddies. My issue I've been mulling over ...

Hanna and Harry Heart are a legend in the town of Amorville. They both grew up there and turned into the town's most popular and enviable high school sweethearts as the All-Star Cheerleader & State Champion Quarterback! They wed soon after high school and today, Hanna's a beautiful NFL cheerleader and Harry's a talented Quarterback for the St. Louis Lambs! The Hearts travel to Amorville often to see their family and friends and have made it a tradition to host a Valentine's Day soiree in Amorville. This year, they hosted their party at the wonderful Sollar's home- in the heart of downtown Amorville. As soon as their guests arrived, they mingled with yummy appetizers and quizzed each other on Famous Couples trivia questions while catching up on the latest juicy gossip. Hanna got the party going with some fun Valentine's Day spirited games such as the Romantic Movie Challenge. Hanna served a delectable dinner and to everyone's shock... a victim coll...

      Happy Valentines Day Everyone!   I hope your day is filled with warm embraces, gentle kisses, decadent desserts and romantic compliments.  It is a thrilling Valentines week for Danny and I.  In addtion to chocolates (which of course I can't eat right now) and opening up the compliment jar, we have three dates set up for this week alone.        Two of them are micro dates, provided by Danny and myself.  It is a  Date Off .  Who can give the best micro date, and of course there will be prizes for the winner.  The first one is tonight-a date Danny is planning himself.  I have no idea what it consists of but I promise to give details and pictures tommorow.  My micro date is Thursday, and I am still whittling down three date ideas.  I need to make it good, so yeah, I'm a little under pressure here.  But I'm lucky becuase I go last, and can therefore make it better. ...

Danny met the girls and I in historic downtown Bethlehem for a leisurely stroll today.  I love walking in historic Bethlehem and picking out the houses I'd dream of living in.  We passed the cute shops, old Victorian Mansions and was even able to view the Christmas Putz at Central Moravian Church.  Good Day!                                       Just some of the festive decorations we were admiring. The Christmas Putz at Central Moravian Church in Bethlehem, very nice and FREE, my favorite word!  They are accepting donations!! Downtown Bethlehem with the Moravian Bookstore on one side and the Historic Hotel Bethlehem on the other.                      ...

We are lucky ducks! Nonna and Pop Pop bought us tickets to the Polar Express! And yes I like exclamation points!!! The Polar Express happens to be in New Hope PA. A charming town next to the Delaware River, filled with little shops, fancy restaurants, a canal, trail, ferry, playhouse and kids museum. I love coming here. My hubby and I had our first date here....it was sunny and warm and the trees had leaves on them. But not yesterday, the wind was biting and our faces were rosy from the bitter temperatures. You could hear the chattering of teeth, and witness the chalky puffs of smoke from our mouths. And this is the day we decide to come early. Once we got into the cheerfully lit and thank heavens heated passenger car, we sat down to a table with four seats. Right off the bat they handed out hot cocoas and cookies...they must have known we needed thawing. The train began creeping out of town, and Danny and I were happy we decided to go when it was still light out, because the vi...

Last night we had our annual Caroling Party. I love this tradition, growing up my parents would throw a caroling party every year, and my friend Jen and I were the stars! We would get to sing "jolly old Saint Nicholas" as a duet, and the neighbors loved it! Afterwards we would sip on creamy cocoa and munch on cookies everyone brought. This event has always been my favorite Christmas memory. As an adult now, we hold a caroling party every December. These are the festivities 1) Begin the games! Cookies, Caroling, Christmas Every year we play the clothespin game- everyone receives a clothespin they clip onto their shirts Rules: you can't say cookies, caroling or Christmas....except when we are caroling (we sing we wish you a merry Christmas) If catch someone saying on of these words, you get to take thier clothes pin. If you catch someone saying cookie, caroling or Christmas and they happen to have more than one clothes pin, then guess what? You win them all! At t...

I love going to my parents house, it's so warm and inviting and comfortably big. It's not overwhelmingly spacious, just roomy enough to have a party and small enough to avoid being ostentatious. Their home has plenty of windows to let the light in, a wonderfully working pellet stove, the fluffiest soft sofas, and homemade cookies always seem to be baking in the oven...Mmm home. But really, I enjoy my parents house so much because they are there. I love their company, friendship and support. This is probably why I look forward every year to my Mom's annual Christmas lunch in. Homemade soups, breads, salads and cookies decorate the tables and counters. Twinkling lights from the numerous Christmas trees and cake stands set the mood. Soft songs of carols float through the air and the smell of yummy concoctions waft into all of our noses. It is a time to visit with old friends, catch up, wish merriness to one another. Is there anything better than friendship? Esp...

Ellyanna wrote her first letter to Santa, which informed the jolly old man that she decorated her own four foot purple Christmas tree, played with her friend Kate, and had been a good girl all year. Her list of requests was short-gotta love a four year old- 1) Barbie and a Fashion Fairytale secret Movie- or whatever you call it 2) Polly Pocket 3) Something that changes food?!? That'll be fun for Santa to figure out. Ellyanna: "And uh...that's all. I'm done" When asked if she had any requests for her one year old sister Brinley she mentioned a Teddy bear. Ellyanna: "and umm...that's all" When the letter was complete we moved onto something even sweeter, making a gingerbread house. Ellyanna had a good time decorating any area that mom unskillfully plastered with frosting. Brinley was too busy stuffing her face with candy to be decorating. In fact she'd rather undo all the hard work Ellyanna put into her yummy little house. One second of...

Such a busy weekend! After Fonthill we joined a bunch of friends at Saucon Valley Manor to go caroling. My friend Kathryn organized it passing out jingle bells to the kids, to jingle of course, sheet music with words and candy canes for the kids to hand out to the residents. There was about six families in all. What fun, and we kept warm :-)

Yesterday Ellyanna, myself with cousins, Aunt Amber and grandma got to see The Nutcracker. It was fun watching Ellyanna literally hang on the edge of her seat, eyes glued to the stage. Grandma bought their own lil Nutcrackers which they promptly broke. Love this tradition!

Brinley and Elly- doesnt Brinley look overjoyed?

Free!! Everybody loves free!! Especially when it involves free tours, Santa, cookies and hot cocoa! So that's of course where my family was, at the Fonthill Museum in Doyelstown. Every year they have a freebie day for families. It always seems to fall on a Sunday between the hours of 1 and 4pm. But what a steal of a deal!    I loved Henry Mercers mansion, made completely of concrete and decorated with his lovely tiles. The girls loved making ornaments and munching on cookies and cocoa. And of course Santa! Well I don't think Brinley was a fan. Ellyanna requested Hannah Montanna stuff for Christmas?!? We don't even have cable, and she's a bit young for Hannah Montanna, so I'm not really sure where that came from. Danny loved it all....I think. But I also think he always enjoys the tile works tour. You get to see workers in action making fancy tiles the way the did it in the 1800's. It was lots of fun and a beautiful day for it. Enjoyed having some frien...

Happy December 1st Everyone! Have any super Christmas traditions you mind sharing? We have finished "A Christmas Carol" as a family earlier this week and our ready for the many rounds of Christmas Traditions. Here is one of them! The 25 books of Christmas! Wrap up 25 Christmas books, Santa, elves, reindeer, but most importantly the birth of the Savior. Have the kids pick one book out each day and unwrap and read them each night. Our schedule goes as planned 1) Read kid scriptures as family 2) Brush our teeth and put on jammies 3) Read book-Christmas ones for December 4) Say prayers It's a daily ritual we all look forward too, but the unwrapping Christmas themed books make it all the more special. PS I'm handing my wrapped books to the girls this year because Brinley will wreck havoc on them if they are placed under the tree!

I know that it is not quite officially the Christmas season yet and we are still learning about the pilgrims and building our thankful turkey......but I couldn't help myself. I'm overly excited for Christmas and decided it would be fun....mostly for Danny and I to read "A Christmas Carol". We are reading it as a family. And even though my girls are only 4 and 1, I figure that if I start them young, they really won't know any different. And really eventually they will get what all those big words mean. The book I took out comes with pictures, so it's easier to show and explain in lamans terms what's going on. A couple pages a night is what we plan to read, till Christmas, and then I'd like to rent the movie. I figure I will compromise by renting the Muppet version of "A Christmas Carol" the girls will get a kick out of that one.